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Friday, June 03, 2005

Irish Pubs: Please help edit and augment the Curmudgeon's area good beer selections.

Readers, this is the third of several posts that provide sections of my forthcoming Good Beer Guide to Kentuckiana, which will be posted at the Potable Curmudgeon web site.Your help is badly needed. What have I gotten wrong, forgotten, omitted?

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IRISH PUBSThe Irish Rover paved the Anglo-Irish pub path more than ten years ago, and numerous competitors have followed in the Reidys’ footsteps. Kitty O’Kirwan’s (Irish) and Sir Churchill’s (English) are two that didn’t make the cut.

Irish Rover2319 Frankfort Avenue899-3544The original Irish Rover on Frankfort Ave. (recently joined by the Irish Rover, Too in Lagrange) has been the yardstick for Irish pubs in Louisville since 1994.

Michael and Siobhan Reidy offer the standard Hibernian lineup of well-kept draft ales and lagers, along with a kitchen that integrates classic Irish recipes with new trends in the island’s cookery. Highly atmospheric, and much recommended.

Molly Malone’s Irish Pub and Restaurant933 Baxter Avenue473-1222In the beginning, Molly Malone’s was long on expensive imported décor and short on charm, but this has changed, and the pub seems to have settled into its niche with good grace. A younger, perhaps rowdier crowd testifies to its location along the Baxter Avenue strip. Fine outdoor seating in front.

O’Shea’s Traditional956 Baxter Avenue589-7373Steadily evolving during the first decade of its operation, O’Shea’s has become a dependable venue with solid pub grub, frequent musical entertainment and yet another above average outdoor seating area.

Irish standbys Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s are joined by Rogue and Goose Island seasonals on a mid-range draft list, while the bottled list leans heavier toward the British Isles, but includes a few more esoteric styles, represented notably by Celebrator Doppelbock and Duvel.